Science 1.3

1.3 Space craft helps us explore beyond Earth

Orbiting Earth
After 1991, the Russian space agency and
NASA began to act as partners.

*The first space station (a satellite in which people can live and work for long periods) was launched in the early 1970s.

*Russian and U.S. astronauts carried out joint missions aboard Mir, the Russian space station . The Mir missions helped prepare for the ISS which began in 1998.

ISS (International Space Station)
The first three member crew arrived at the station in 2000 and performed experiments. i.e – they were able to grow cell tissue more easily in space than they can on Earth.
Research and technological advances from the space station may lay the groundwork for new space exploration.

One of the advantage of
space shuttles over earlier
spacecraft is that they can be
reused.


Flybys
The first stage in space exploration is to send out a spacecraft that passes one or more planets or other bodies in space without orbiting them.

After a flyby spacecraft leaves Earth’s orbit, controllers on Earth can use the spacecraft’s small rockets to adjust its direction.

As a flyby spacecraft passes a planet, the planet’s gravity can be used to change the spacecraft’s speed or direction.

Many complex mathematical calculations are needed for a flyby mission to be successful. The period of time when a spacecraft can be launched is called a launch window.

OrbitersThe second stage in space exploration is to study a planet over a long period of time. These tasks are done by orbiters.

An orbiter can keep track of changes that occur over time, such as changes in weather and volcanic activity. They allow astronomers to create detailed maps of planets and some are designed to explore moons or other bodies in space instead of planets.

Landers and Probes
The third stage in space exploration is to land instruments on a planet or to send instruments through its atmosphere.

A lander is a craft designed to land on planet’s surface.

After a lander touches down, controllers on Earth can send it commands to collect data.

A lander may also contain a small vehicle called a rover, which can explore beyond the landing site.

Mars Pathfinder in 1997 sent back thousands of photographs. The images provided evidence that water once flowed over the surface of Mars.

The term probe is often used to describe a spacecraft that drops into a planet’s atmosphere. As the probe travels through the atmosphere its instruments identify gases and measure properties such as pressure and temperature.

A lander or a probe can work in combination with an orbiter.